Product Description

Julius Caesar has to be considered one of the central figures in Roman history. Rapid promotions from a humble civil servant put him in command of the mighty Roman Legions which completed the conquests of Gaul and Britain, and established him as a great but bloodthirsty general. However, the politically ambitious Caesar made many enemies and was finally assassinated in the Senate House on 15th March 44 B.C.

This fascinating program includes exciting, dramatic film reconstructions, expert commentaries and analyses, accounts from primary sources, and commentary and analyses from leading authorities, historians and scholars.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155565 in DVD
• Brand: Unknown
• Released on: 2006-07-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 50 minutes

Customer Reviews

Britain Centered and Bisexuality Erased
This is a British production meant for British audiences. Yes, one of Julius Caesar's greatest claims to fame was his push into Britain. However, this fact takes up most of the documentary and is surely a sign of British viewers wanting to hear more about themselves than about Rome alone or mostly. Shakespeare's play gets quoted as much as actual Roman writings. At one point, the work shows actors playing Celts or Druids fighting off the Romans. You can just tell the British actors loved portraying their ancestors. Just as we African Americans might love wearing kinte cloth or Mexican Americans may sport Aztec feathers or designs, the viewer can just tell how much the actors loved wearing war paint and sporting ancient argyle designs. The vibe is why Gibson's "Braveheart" was so successful.

When gay rights activists critique cultural works for erasing the homosexuality or bisexuality of famous people, the works' creators often reply, "Well, their gayness isn't what made them famous and besides we didn't focus on the bedroom anyway." Well, this work begins and keeps repeating Caesar's sexual successes with women. It says a fair amount about his relationship with Cleopatra. Notable Names Database, LGBTQ, and many other sources say Caesar was bisexual and definitely had sexual relations with a few men, not just women alone. This never comes up in the documentary. Great Britain has a stronger track record on gay rights than America and yet this documentary was disturbing in its heterosexism. At one point, the actor playing Caesar (who looked nothing like busts of Caesar) pats a young man on the back. This could be a homoerotic signifier, but it could probably have represented his effort to have allies in the Roman Senate.

Though informative, this work was low-budget. The actor playing Caesar is clumsily glued over an Ancient Roman background. Unlike many documentaries that have several interviewed scholars, this just had one. His teeth were crooked, but not terribly so. I guess I could see a junior high teacher showing this to her or his English or history class, but this is certainly no Ken Burns production.